Strategic Anti-Trump Voting on Super Tuesday: For Whom To Vote?
Which of the lesser of four evils is most likely to stop Trump's nomination?

Donald Trump is anti-free trade, pro-domestic surveillance, pro-torture, pro-campaign finance reform, anti-abortion, won't change Social Security or Medicare, anti-Muslim, pro-border wall, anti-immigration, pro-deportation, pro-Internet shut down, pro-Putin, pro-eminent doman for private gain, incoherent on health care policy, anti-vaccination, pro-miltary build up, birther, and a smug silver spoon-fed bully. Basically, there is almost nothing libertarian about Trump's views.
I am a resident of the Commonwealth of Virginia which is one of the states that is holding its primary on March 1, a.k.a. Super Tuesday. Earlier this year, the GOP dropped its idiotic requirement that people sign a loyalty oath before voting in the Republican primary. I fully recognize that none of the other candidates have much libertarian cred either, so my goal is to vote for the lesser of four evils who is most likely to halt Trump's march toward the Republican Party's nomination.
Given those considerations, I am leaning toward Marco Rubio. What do you think?
In November, I intend to vote for the Libertarian Party candidate unless it's John McAfee. In which case, I will stay home on Election Day and drink heavily. Or perhaps just throw away my vote on Chthulhu. After all, why vote for the lesser evil?
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What difference, at this point, does it make?
WHERE'S THE TRUMP?
Given those considerations, I am leaning toward Marco Rubio. What do you think?
Way to throw your vote away, Bailey.
I recommend you drink heavily anyways.
I eagerly await the "Strategic Anti-Cruz Voting" and "Strategic Anti-Rubio Voting" guides on how to get rid of one of the other contenders to set up the two-way race.
I guess the "Strategic Anti-Hillary Voting" guide is pretty short and obvious, given the Dem field.
Since Rand dropped out I'm planning to vote Sanders in the primary. My preferred candidate is "Anyone but Hillary", today's article notwithstanding.
On MacAfee: why should Libertarians have the only good candidate? He brings us down to the D/R level.
Just admit it, you are voting for Hillary.
They can't admit it, because doing so would take away the small amount of remaining credibility (and customer base) they have left.
And the two of you know about credibility.
I really don't know, I threw my voting card away when Rand Paul and Scott Walker dropped out. I guess it would be Cruz. Rubio seems to just highlight all of Cruzs worst parts, not being genuine and war hawking, and amplified them.
This^^
Justin Amash has it right though. Cruz still has some libertarian cred on the fiscal front.
Rubio will end up a milquetoast version of Romneytoast.
Sadly, I agree. Rubio will not win in the general election, he has always been a lightweight (sorry if that's also what Trump called him, but I've been referring to him as such since day One). Which leaves Trump or Cruz. So, it's Cruz, for all the reasons mentioned by RB in the article. If the crony-capitalism (eminent domain BS) and (hypocritical) wall fetish weren't bad enough, the torture comment last week sealed it for me.
Cruz sucks, but not quite as bad as all the rest.
"anti-abortion" what are Trump's views on deep dish and circumcision?
Proper deep dish is made with severed foreskins.
The whole point of crcumsicion is to avoid having a crust.
I almost hope Hillary and Trump win because that would create the best situation in a century for a 3rd party (Libertarian?) to win the presidency. But that could backfire and we'd get President Hillary or Trump because Americans are tribal idiots.
However, if the libertarian party nominates John McAfee I will for the first time be embarrassed to call myself a libertarian. Johnson has the best chance, and will be president if he can get into just one national debate.
Um, you weren't embarrassed to call yourself a libertarian when they nominated Bob Barr?
cbk loves those little french waiter mustaches.
Beat me to this...
That was my first election and I hadn't realized I was libertarian yet. I voted for McCain because I thought he would actually try to be bipartisan (before I realized the worst laws are usually bipartisan), and I didn't think that Sarah Palin was any worse than Joe Biden was. Face palm. Luckily I'm not as big of an idiot anymore, although I'm still not convinced Joe Biden's really any smarter than Sarah Palin.
I'm absolutely convinced that Sarah Palin is clearly Joe Biden in drag.
I'm not convinced that Sarah Palin isn't Tina Fey and Joe Biden's love child.
If there's going to be any 3rd party candidate this year, it's going to be Michael Bloomberg. Who isn't a libertarian either, but might be preferable to Hillary or Trump.
but might be preferable to Hillary or Trump.
"Which do you prefer as your method of torture? The searing hot poker repeatedly shoved up your ass or the electrified clamps on your genitals?"
I disagree. Bloomberg would pursue the exact same program as Hillary Clinton, minus the influence peddling but with more support from Congress. Trump would often pursue policies that I would find reprehensible but mostly won't impact me personally, especially since I doubt his planned trade war with the Chinese will go anywhere.
I suspect that the Trump presidency will end up as a rehash of the Bush administration from a domestic policy standpoint but with more bluster and less SoCon bullshit. Kind of like an alternate universe where Dick Cheney was elected president in 2000 and 9/11 never happened.
And yes, I believe a Trump presidency is a foregone conclusion. Let's revel in our Berlusconi and hope that he doesn't stick around as long as his Italian counterpart.
Not fiscally, he wouldn't. He may have been a RINO but he's considerably to the right of her on economic issues.
Then the current incarnation of Clinton where she's trying to stave off a huge challenge on her left? Sure. But I don't really believe that's how she'll govern. She's got a long history that says otherwise.
it's a bit worse than her husband's and Bloomberg's, but I don't think it's a huge difference.
Also, have you heard Gary Johnson speak?
I listened to the 3rd party debate last time around and ... why didn't anyone tell me that GayJay was a flaming homo?
True. The guy's mannerisms and voice are irritating. He also has the face of a muppet. But look at Trump's face! In this election anything could happen, though! Hopefully...
What, playing a character in a musical about AIDS wasn't enough of a clue?
Rubio. I need him to get the nomination to win a bet.
Since Rand is gone I was going Cruz but it appears the best way to beat Trump would be for Rubio and Cruz to hash out who is VP and who is Prez.
Dropping those "idiotic" party requirements is exactly how we are going to end up with a President Trump.
Another Virginian here -- I'm voting Rubio because I prefer the certainty of unfettered government snooping and another four years of drug war idiocy to whatever is behind Door Number Trump. Fingers crossed!
It's carpet bombing all the way down.
Why stay home? Show up and turn in a blank ballot.
A blank ballot shows that you care about the process, but that you don't think any candidate is worth your vote.
My dream is where blank ballots would be 75% of the vote with Hilary and Trump splitting the rest. Whoever wins that can't claim to have a mandate when so many people decided for none of the above.
If you stay home, that 25% in the previous scenario becomes 100% of the vote and the scumsuckers can claim that they have a mandate because they captured 55% of that group.
Virginia uses voting machines, but I think it's possible to do a blank vote.
How do they do write-ins?
If not Cruz, then I'm seriously thinking "Mickey Mouse". They will have to count it, as an "other".
That's what I'll be doing, unless Gary Johnson gets the Libertarian nomination.
Did that already not happen? I hear noises about the crazy anti-virus software guy being their candidate. Is that a sealed deal?
This is why i'm for automatic voting. If you can't be bothered to go to the polls, your vote counts for Nobody.
If 50% +1 of the vote goes to Nobody, the office is filled by Nobody.
Vote "None of the Above"
Vote Sweet Meteor Of Death 2016.
Bailey linked to the Chthulu campaign site above.
Embrace the suck.
I was considering voting for Cruz, but if libertarians all block-vote for the same candidate, it's more likely to succeed.
So, I'll follow your lead and vote for Rubio.
I am also a Virginia primary voter.
Texas voter leaning Cruz here. He at least knows that Libya was a dumb idea and he seems more serious about cutting spending. Cruz also indicated that he would let states decide on marijuana while Rubio indicated he wouldn't. Cruz has been going down a bad path recently, though. I hate to still reward him with my vote after that. But I probably will. I am not excited about it, but I wanted to let you know that you aren't the only one leaning Cruz.
Keep in mind that who you vote for in the primary isn't who you have to vote for in the general.
You can block-vote for Rubio in order to stop Trump, but I'd still consider voting for Cruz in the general election if he wins.
Cruz has actually done some positive stuff--arguing before the Supreme Court and winning a case in favor of Second Amendment rights, for example--and he is promoting a flat tax and the elimination of five FedGov Bureaucracies.
I don't know any of Rubio's proposals.
The hidden VAT in Cruz's tax plan scares me. Same with Rand's for that matter. The initial rates might not be bad, but I'm pretty sure it would get abused shortly and we'd end up in a significantly worse position than we currently are.
Do you speak of the 16% corporate tax rate?
Since this election cycle is insane, I vote stay home and drink heavily.
Drink suggestion: Cuban Screwdriver---spiced rum and freshly squeezed juice is a must. I like the juice of Honey tangerines the best myself, but any sweet mandarin orange is preferable to the bottled stuff.
I wish that we could vote "Not Trump" personally.
What would voting be like if instead of voting FOR a particular candidate, you could just say "Anyone but X", and it would just be counted as a negative vote against X.
Of all the shitty candidates in the Republican party right now, the least shitty from my perspective is Cruz. I know I'll vehemently disagree with him on certain issues, but at least there are some where I'll strongly agree.
Trump is going to see a bump upwards after last nite. "The wall just got ten feet higher."
If nothing else his presidency is going to be hilarious.
The pearl-clutching and head-exploding on all sides is already hilarious. The entire election season is a 4chan fever dream.
"After all, why vote for the lesser evil?"
Now, now, Ron, we're settlers. We find our satisfaction elsewhere. Tupla has his sockpuppetts, Crusty, his faceless sex doll, Swissy has his *narrow gaze*, and I have my Chumbawamba CD. Yep, I sure do.
STOMP! STOMP! STOMP!
and I have my Chumbawamba CD
You're almost the worst. Almost.
For Whom To Vote?
How about no one? Is no one good enough for you?
If you need to flip a coin to decide with evil piece of shit is the lesser evil piece of shit, and deserving of your endorsement, democracy isn't a process at that point, but is instead a fetish.
Bailey,
The goal should now be to vote for the candidate that would be easiest to oppose from both the Left and the Right while they're in the Oval office. Rubio and Hillary are awful, because they would command actual loyal from rank and file Congressman and Senators. Therefore they would actually get things done, that's something we want to avoid.
Ted Cruz is an asshole hated by everyone in Washington and is unlikely to get too much done beyond cutting spending, picking the next Supreme Court Justices or jumping back on the Criminal Justice Reform bandwagon.
John Kasich is completely distrusted by the Right, has some support in the center and will get very little support from the Left because he's a Republican.
Bernie Sanders is a wild eyed socialist who will never get most of his program through Congress and will be fighting with a Republican Congress who will be suing him over Unconstitutional Executive Orders.
So to recap yes to Cruz, Kasich, and Sanders because they likely wouldn't get any thing done. And no to Rubio and Clinton who would get things done.
Or stay home and do something much more productive. Drink!
HAH!
I didn't say it would be much spending. Hopefully the "Principled Conservative" would have enough votes to sustain any veto he's makes to whatever insane programs Congress tries to pass. It's a fool's hope, but I'll take it over our other options.
I used to Stand with Rand.
Now I have to get in a Barco with Marco.
Why won't you Cruise with Cruz?
Take a dump on Trump!
Wait, nevermind, he already has people
Cruzin'
The chances of this happening are slime to non, but I would rather enjoy John Mcafee becoming the LP nominee and SOMEHOW getting up on the debate stage with trump and Hillary. It could be the greatest show on earth.
Far from a "settled" anti-libertarian position.
Fascinating that those who cry "it's hard to know where to draw the line" on NAP protection have decided so firmly that being anti-abortion is anti-libertarian. Do you ever check yourself for logical consistency?
the answer is simple: Vote for Deez Nuts
Not 35.
While I don't support voting for the lesser evils, if I had to, Cruz is less evil than Rubio, stands the better shot at winning and you get the added satisfaction of knowing he pisses off the Republican establishment.
Sadly, Cthulhu's not the greater evil in this election. He's not even in the top three. There's been a lot of tears shed around Rl'yeh lately, I can tell you
Cthulhu in 2016 -- Because He's the Lesser Evil!
Flip-flopper.
Yeah, see, It really doesn't like that idea. It's amazed at the things you people can get up to. It's why I stay at the Center of All Things. Sure, the piping is incessant, and eternal, and maddening--but it's not MSNBC. And who says I always have to have ears, am I right?
Cruz or Rubio are the least horrible of the four.
Gary Johnson would be a somewhat libertarian choice, but not much doubt he's gonna win the LP nom.
Um, stop Hillary? Vote Bernie. At this point a vote for anyone else is a vote FOR Hillary.
Where is this coming from?
Cthulhu wasn't evil at all, just like Euclidean geometry the concept doesn't apply.
"Given those considerations, I am leaning toward Marco Rubio. What do you think?"
I think that when you come to a fork in the road you should take it.
Feel the Bern, Bailey. Sanders and a GOP Congress is the best we can hope for at this point.
What is wrong with Putin?
Vlad is the greatest statesman on the world stage today. he is driving the neocons nuts. By intervening in Syria, first to stop the insane red line regime change bombardment of Syria-followed by his masterful insertion of a small air regiment that prevented a blood bath in Damascus and is rolling back the crazies on a training mission budget is the most remarkable military feat in decades.
Russia has never been more free. Russia was like the Gangs of New York under Yeltsin, now at least it has tamed to be more like modern Chicago in its politics.
Putin is not the bad guy in Russia. The oligarchs who rose up under Yeltsin are the enemy of freedom there. He stopped the UKRONAZIS from slaughtering the Russian speaking citizens of the Donbas, He prevented expansionist NATO from seizing Sevastopol. He reformed the Russian military, now is outperforming its metrics in Syria by four or five times expectations.
Best of all, Russia has no imperialist designs. She has one single second rate air craft carrier. She cannot project military power more than 1000 miles from her borders. Her object is to stop US -British-Australian-Israeli imperialism and she is winning. By aligning with the BRICS and other Eurasian countries like Kazakhstan, she is building a firewall against the IMF and ONE WORLD GOVERMENT, creating a multi polar world to stop the neocon vision of BENEVOLENT HEGEMONY.
. Stop the Putin bashing, please!
?+, good effort, Comrade!
I always vote strategically.
My strategy is to have my vote counted for the candidate that most closely matches my views.
My strategy works every time.
This morning's speech by Rubio, where he trolls Trump, is entertaining.
Given those considerations, I am leaning toward Marco Rubio. What do you think?
The ideal choice for marks and rubes.
I can't have Rand Paul, so at this point it's Cruz. Seeing November's reality for it is....Trump. Pull my Libertarian card. Grampa Gulag scares me, and Hillary is...well, Hillary.
Rubio has the best chance to win, but he has many anti-liberty views as well, especially on social issues. Still, he's way better than the Donald, who's a bully and a tyrant.
The Libertarian party should draft Rand Paul
You stick with that Libertarian Party where you can talk to each other and have no responsibility for passing any bills or winning any elections. No accountability. No expectations. Maybe it should be the Liberated Party.
But if you want to vote for the Republican party that does not believe in evolution or the Big Bang or believes that a snowball disproves climate change, feel free.
"anti-vaccination"? "birther"? "silver spoon-fed"?
What do any of those have to do with being non-libertarian?
Non-rational is relevant too.
I may have to follow your lead Tundra. It would be great to see two write ins for Almanian in our suburb.
Maybe we can start putting up signs around town. "Alamnian - Slightly better than the clap"